Halo Knight
Some psychic warriors develop their craft with the mixed blessings of an unstable source for their power. This unstable spiritual energy, known as animus to some, is where these warriors learn to hone their craft and through rigorous practice and training, have learned that through focusing this energy to their martial skills that it can be harnessed into an effective fighting style. These halo knights manipulate the ebb and flow of their animus through their psychic reserves and use it to bolster both their manifesting and combat ability through the use of a halo of psychic energy that develops around them. This energy allows them to suspend energies around them in defensive auras, aid allies, and empower their attacks. Psionic Animus At 1st level, a halo knight gains Tap Animus as a bonus feat. Whenever the halo knight manifests a psionic power during combat (excluding psionic powers manifested with his animus manifestation class feature), he adds 1 point of animus to his animus pool per 2 power points spent on the power (minimum 1). In addition, he can generate 1 point of animus by spending 2 power points as a free action. If the halo knight later gains another animus pool, his Tap Animus feat is exchange for Extra Animus as normal, but he retains the other abilities granted by this class feature. This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 1st level. Psychic Halo (Su) A halo knight’s innate powers of animus bubble and boil out of his psyche to create a semisolid field of energy. While the halo knight has at least 1 point of animus, he is surrounded by a luminous field which grants 1 point of Wisdom bonus (if any) per halo knight level as a deflection bonus to his AC. This is a force effect. This barrier also generates light as a light ''spell; the halo knight can suppress or resume this light as a free action (while it’s suppressed, his eyes glimmer with restrained animus, noticeable with a DC 15 Perception check). This ability replaces psionic proficiency. '''Warrior’s Path (Ex): '''At 1st level, a halo knight gains the anomalous warrior’s path (see page 9), instead of choosing from the normal list. This ability alters warrior’s path, but does not cause the halo knight archetype to be incompatible with archetypes that replace the warrior’s path class feature. '''Anima Skills' Whenever a halo knight gains a psychic warrior bonus feat, he can choose to take an anima skill he qualifies for instead. Unless otherwise noted, an anima skill can only be taken once. Saving throw DCs are Wisdom-based. This ability alters bonus feats, but does not cause the halo knight archetype to be incompatible with other archetypes that alter the bonus feats class feature. * Anima Flare (Psi): By channeling raw animus through his halo, the halo knight can create a spontaneous psychokinetic effect. As standard action, the halo knight can expend his psionic focus to use one of the powers added to his power list with the Kinetic Halo anima skill as a psi-like ability. This power must be among his powers known. The halo knight spends three points of animus to manifest this psi-like ability, using his class level as his manifester level to determine its effectiveness. A halo knight must have the Kinetic Halo anima skill to select this anima skill. * Anima Infusion (Su): The halo knight’s ability to manipulate animus allows him to increase the speed with which he may fortify or improve his form with the use of psionic powers. With this anima skill, he may use any psychic warrior power with a range of personal as an immediate action upon spending three points of animus as part of that manifestation. The halo knight must be at least 6th level before selecting this anima skill. * Animus Empowerment (Su): Weapons the halo knight wields are empowered by the passive powers of his animus, increasing their enhancement bonus by +1 (up to a maximum of +5; non-magical weapons are considered to have an enhancement bonus of +0 for the purposes of this ability). His weapons increase their enhancement bonus by a further +1 at 12th level. Thrown weapons retain this increase for the duration of any attacks the halo knight makes with them. Alternatively, the halo knight can wreath his weapons in ghostly energy, dealing 1d6 points of additional damage of his active energy type (or 2d6 at 12th level) instead of increasing his enhancement bonuses. This energy allows him to strike incorporeal foes as if he possessed the ghost touch ''enhancement on the weapon. He can switch between energy and enhancement as a free action. * ''Durable Halo (Su): The halo knight’s animus is so dense that it can turn blows away. While his psychic halo is active and he is psionically focused, the halo knight gains damage reduction/– equal to half his class level. * Empowered Halation (Su): By channeling animus into his psychic defenses, the halo knight can try to make his body impervious to harm. As an immediate action, the halo knight may spend a point of animus to improve the energy resistance granted to him by his improved psychic halo class feature by an additional 20 points, or gain 20 energy resistance to different energy types (acid, cold, electricity, or fire) if it is not his active energy type. If the halo knight also has the Durable Halo anima skill, he increases his damage reduction from it by 5. This effect lasts until the halo knight’s next turn. The halo knight must be at least 9th level before selecting this anima skill. * Kinetic Halo: By tapping into the elemental powers of animus, the halo knight expands his power list to include psychokinetic tools not normally available to psychic warriors. He adds the following powers to his psychic warrior power list and may add one of these to his powers known (he must meet the manifester level requirement for selecting the power known): energy ball, energy bolt, energy burst, energy cone, energy current, energy missile, energy push, energy ray, energy retort, energy splash, ''and ''energy stun. This anima skill may be selected multiple times, adding a new power known to his list of powers. * Palisade Wall (Su): By spending 1 point of animus as a free action, the halo knight hardens his psychic halo’s light to form a semi-physical field of hard light. This acts as a tower shield wielded by the halo knight, though he does not physically wield it. It is held by thought and will alone, and the halo knight does not take the normal attack penalties or armor check penalty for using it. The tower shield gains a +1 enhancement bonus at 4th level, and an additional +1 enhancement bonus every four levels thereafter. He can use it to gain cover as normal for a tower shield. The tower shield remains in existence for one minute per use of this ability. * Restorative Halo (Su): The halo knight creates a burst of restorative radiance from his psychic halo, revitalizing his allies. As a free action, the halo knight can expend his psionic focus and spend 2 points of animus to grant fast healing 5 to his allies within 60 feet for a number of rounds equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier (minimum 4 rounds). Animus Manifestation (Su) At 4th level, a halo knight gains the ability to augment his psionic abilities with the wild power of his animus. When manifesting a power, a halo knight can spend points of animus in place of power points to pay for the manifestation; this specifically allows the halo knight to mix manifesting with both power points and animus to pay for the same power. If the halo knight is also spending power points to augment the power further, these augments may be paid for with animus as well. Animus spent in this way count as power points to determine how many power points the halo knight may spend per round, and this does not allow him to augment a power beyond his manifester level. This ability replaces path skills. Improved Psychic Halo (Su) At 9th level, the defenses of a halo knight’s animus field improve, generating more light (as a daylight ''spell, though he may still suppress it as normal) and more defensive power. The halo knight gains the uncanny dodge ability. In addition, his animus pool and psychic halo manifest at the start of a combat (this activates when initiative is roll, including the surprise round, if any), rather than the start of his first turn in a combat. His halo also grants him resistance 20 to his active energy type when manifested. If a halo knight already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead. This ability replaces secondary path. '''Blazing Halation (Su)' At 12th level, a halo knight is capable of causing his psychic halo to blaze with psionic energies. This is stressful to his psionic faculties. Once per day. while his psionic halo is active, he can cause it to blaze with energy as a swift action. The halo blazes for one minute, during which time the halo knight generates 1 additional point of animus at the start of his turn, 1 additional animus is generated during power manifestation, and creatures that hit him with melee attacks take 5d6 points of energy damage (energy type is based on the halo knight’s active energy type). This damage only affects a given creature once per round. In addition, if the halo knight would take damage that reduces him to 0 or fewer hit points while under the effect of blazing halation, he can spend 3 points of animus as an immediate action to ignore the damage. He may use this ability one additional time per day at 15th level, and again at 18th level. This ability replaces pathweaving and twisting path. Psionic Halation Endurance (Su) At 20th level, a halo knight’s body is so infused with animus that he is fundamentally altered by it. The halo knight constantly gains the benefits of his psychic halo (which he can end or resume as a free action) and his life becomes entirely sustained by the constant flood of animus through his psyche. His type changes to outsider and he gains the native subtype. The halo knight no longer needs to eat, breathe, or sleep; his animus sustains these functions (though he may do so if he wishes, and he still must rest to regain power points). This ability replaces eternal warrior.